Glad I grew up in the sixties and seventies. Great to have met these guys, and watch them race through the years. Hard-working Americans.

Jim had a T/F dragster long ago . was the first time at the drags I must have been 4th grade. I was standing next to his car so my friend could take photos Jim ask if I wanted to sit in his car so my friend could get a photo of me in a dragster. Something I will never forget. Always has time to say hi for his fans.

He’s one of the few that when his time on this earth is over I’ll cry… he’s a legend among legends and the best damn funny car tuner of all time

I have a spark plug and used drag slick off of Paul Lee's car. Signed by big Jim Dunn. It's now in my living room as a center piece with glass on the top. I'll never forget that day 👍🏼👍🏼

This has to be the best Drag Racing interview in history Big Jim is so fun to listen too I could listen to him all Funny Car Summer Long !!!

WOW! I am 59 years old. I well remember the vintage days of drag racing. I was never a big fan of Jim Dunn but I am now! This was one of the best installments of this series! Honors to you Jim, you are one bad ass old SOB! You have my respect and admiration!!!!!!!! Luv you bro!

Awesome individual! Hell of a racer! Loved watching him race!

I dont know how many times I have watched this, but I know I will again

"I enjoy losing almost as much as winning, but I hate not qualifying." -Jim Dunn I love that quote.

Bennett is doing more to preserve the stories and facts of drag racing than anything or person I have seen... thank you so much for these videos... I am blown away only 14k subscribers? I bet there are some fine names among those 14k though! :)

@CompetitionPlusTV

6 жыл бұрын

randalljames - we will take all the word of mouth campaigning you can give us :-)

@mattriley73mr

5 жыл бұрын

Most definitely. I just found the series and am binge watching them now.

@cindysue5474

5 жыл бұрын

You can still get the movie funny car summer.

@roastbeef441

4 жыл бұрын

Doesn't NHRA have a " protect our legacy" Dept.? I guess not

Jim Dunn is one bad hombre'

GOT HERE FROM FUNNY CAR SUMMER ALWAYS LIKED JIM DUNN HE WAS SCARED OF HEIGHTS AND FIRE SO BECAME A FIREMAN

Like so many other young kids, I was at the "popcorn" movie, with my friends. Never forget how excited we all were, coming out of that theatre. What a great story, as are all in this series. Thanks for doing these. JT: Orlando Fl p.s. all this crap had such a profound effect on me, My partner and I host the Florida Dragstrip Riot nostalgia drags every fall, at Orlando Speedworld.

Truly enjoyed this. Thanks so much for making these shows. So great that their stories are being told and preserved. I grew up with these guys.

At 63 yrs old I remember all of these legends, being from LA I had the privilege to go to Lion's, OC and irwindale as a kid! Pit passes if my Pop's worked overtime! 🇺🇸

EVERY THING BIG JIM DUNN HAS SAID HERE SOME OF US CAN RELATE TO , MUST HAVE BEEN THE TIMES . HONEST MEN ARE THE MEN THAT PEOPLE RESPECT.

What a legend this man is the real deal

I really enjoy these documentaries listening to this was like listening to my father, both came from the same era and did a lot with very little money.I could sit and listen to Jim's stories like listening to my father

Memories of Jim and my uncle Henry Velasco racing.

This was a generation of real men !

met him at topeka kans he is a CLASS ACT stood and talked to me for along time about more than just drag racing lots of respect for him

No doubt about it, this series really is some “next” level stuff!!!👍🏻

A terrific insight to one of the legends of the sport ..... Thanks Bobby Bennett for another great documentary in the series ......

Funny Car Summer is a must see

Best answer I have ever heard to the question "do you have any regrets ?"

Funny car summer got me hooked thanks for taking me Uncle Charles RIP

I met Big Jim when he busied Hawaii back in the early 70's he wax My jeep back then, and still is.

This man id love to sit down and talk with at a track or in person

Jim Dunn was our neighbor in Garden Grove calif and I remember his cars in the driveway

@robertpradella6550

4 жыл бұрын

Very cool! How often did you go say Hi?

@garthcasagrande9387

4 жыл бұрын

What street??

@jeffhicks1008

3 жыл бұрын

@@garthcasagrande9387 sorry I am 7 months late but it was Lambert circle

Got to meet Jim a bunch of times as a neighbor was Jim's bottom end guy on the 'Fireman's Quickie' for years... Jim was cleaning out his house and gave Joe 'Goofy' Turner a TF trophy from California race track that was gone before I started driving.. I liked looking at that trophy as it was a symbol of the "good ol' days" when almost every SoCal city had a strip..

'BIG' Jim was a True Driver and Tuner

Wow! Good video! Cousin and I went to see Funny Car Summer, it was awesome! We raced home to get grandmas sheets and string and dads expensive gray duct tape to make parachute’s for our bicycles! Neither was to happy! We will always remember the good times in life! Thanks Jim D! Nice job!

A true legend

That’s really cool explaining how he slows everything down the blinking yellow etc , they always talk about good quarterbacks in the nfl slowing the game down seeing everything on the field, great interview thanks

41:42 Man!! If that ain't one of the best pics in drag history, i don't know what is? I got that poster at a car show in the 80's and still have it framed on my wall. The dunn and reath cars were always some sexy looking rides and well engineered too!! They say you should never meet your heroes, but i think jim would an exception!! I met Don Nicholson and i didn't have the cash for a shirt and he was charging for the pics and all, he saw that and gave me an autographed pic and probably one of every piece of merch he had!! FREE!! And he remains number one on my top 5, but i'd sure love to meet Honorable Mr. Dunn too!!

I too was in Jr. High School when the movie "Funny car Summer" came out. That was the Golden age of Drag Racing. I do find it odd he never once mentioned his son Mike Dunn who in his own right is a legend.

Great video Bobby B. Awesome stories. Jim Dunn is one cool guy. Keep'em coming. Jackson Bros-

These are unbelievable ! never look at Jim dunn the same!

When I think of "Big Jim" Dunn,I think of the 1972 NHRA Supernationals win and his long,smokey burnouts.

What a great story teller.one of the best

gotta love drag racing those oooold vws!!

On the front engine funny car, couldnt get it to go straight, would go dead left or dead right. Garlits had the same problem with the front engine dragster. He said the same thing, couldnt get it to go straight. He didnt invent the front engine dragster. He had the idea to build one after his crash losing part of his foot. The guy that had the first front end dragster, gave up, not being able to get it to go straight down the track. Garlits mentioned he fixed that by slowing down the steering. He said to his mechanic, he felt like he was over correcting during a run, using the same steering on the front engine dragster, taken off the shorter slingshot. His mechanic said, maybe it doesnt want the same steering. Words that changed everything.

@racer774

5 жыл бұрын

Phil Harden I understand what you meant but you have accidentally used front engine when you mean rear engine. Great information otherwise.

@thomassmith225

5 жыл бұрын

Phil Harden- REAR engine Dragster.. Front engined dragster were the norm.( slingshots). Garlits made the REAR- ENGINE DRAGSTER--- Go straight...

Man !!!! Those 70 cuda was the best looking funny cars !!!!😄😄😄😄😄😄😎😎😎😎😎🍺🍺🍺

It’s a travesty that he never mentioned his Son, Mike. Maybe that was editing. But that’s disrespect or neglect from a Father. It’s not right. My Dad made some things happen for me. Not give away stuff. He got me a summer job refueling airplanes. He taught me about engines. What was lean vs rich. Timing and setting magnetos all on stationary gasoline engines he rebuilt from before 1910. Cleaning the points that were inside the combustion chamber...not the distributor. Only one Gigantic Cylinder. 750 RPM Max. Of course I was the “starter”. When you’re cranking the engine, you know what too rich feels like.That knowledge has served me well listening to engine exhaust sounds from Cars to Airplanes to weed whackers, lawn mowers and generators. I’ve got a blown 1973 Corvette. Back from my crazy days in the mid-1980s. If you turn it off, to go into a store, the fuel boils out of the carb. It told my youngest Son to never, ever drive without a fire extinguisher. He would get so mad that I could hot start it. He’s learned from me I hope. It all flows back to my Dad. I became a pilot because of him. He had more 10 engine B-36 time than nearly anyone in the AF. 26,160 cubic inches of 6 R-4360 engines. ~3500 HP each. Plus 4 turbojet engines. kzread.info/dash/bejne/a3p-uNqthLHQes4.html I flew this exact Twin Beech Air ambulance with him in my college summers...late 1970s. www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/beech-c-45h-expeditor RIP Dad.

Thanks, always a pleasure to watch and learn about the people that made this sport so good.

Most Excellent , video and series. Thanks

Out of all the Legends The Series videos, this is my favorite. Big Jim is hilarious! I hope more are coming in the future.

These stories are better than Force's best.

At the time when Jim came out with his rear engine funny car, I felt THAT"S THE WAY FUNNY CARS SHOULD BE BUILT. Now look what Garlits has done for TOP FUEL ,every top fueler is rear engine.I always loved his cars, I'm just sorry they didn't get a handle on it til almost retirement.

Enjoy this whole series but this one i enjoyed the best. thanks

"Honorable mr dunn" 😁👊🤜

I saw “Funnycar Summer “ at the Parkview Theater in Pasadena, Texas when it came out. I’d never seen a rear engine funnycar before.

Great work! I enjoyed that very much.

I remember when he came to Hawaii Raceway Park back in the sixties .

Another great video!!! "BIG Jim is one hell of a story teller. I love the cowboy references when he is describing driving a dragster. Keep up the good work!

This was awesome! Thanks.

ah funny car summer! what a leaver :) some real good insights in tuning. also a drag racing dynasty & so much love in the comments

Think of the lights as musical notes. They are separated by time. If you wait to see the light, you are late.

I believe that he always ran rear distributer 392 - 417 engines. They are my favorite .

Love ya Big Jim

What An Amazing Man...

This might be my favorite episode, so many great story's and incite but i sure wish they would have talked about his son Mike Dunn. Who has done a lot in and for the sport, guess they never mended the fences...

@normajeandonathan7884

4 жыл бұрын

he couldn't ..asked about regrets

I remember him at Irwindale in 1970

Good on ya Jim 👍🇬🇧🏆

Excellent

Big Jim Dunn OG.

Sooo Cool

Excellent story

God, if I had a dad and nitro drag raced every summer.

Respect...

Love the interview it was good . Of course the one thing he didn't talk about. Was why he and his son don't get along . I have always wondered about that that I wish he hadn't talked about it . But I guess he didn't want to .I like Mike as well

@CompetitionPlusTV

5 жыл бұрын

Joe Valdrighi - as he put it - it’s nobody’s business

@joevald3

5 жыл бұрын

Yes but I hate to see it . Because you only have one father ..@@CompetitionPlusTV

I would love a copy of: Funny Car Summer!

Blazemore, LoL! More fitting, haha!

I lived Tennessee when I was 14 and you could get a drivers license for farm equipment on roads, going from one field to another(1976). But, you could not get a learners permit to drive a car on the road until you were 15. So, I started to drive when I was 15.

I've enjoyed every one of the shows in this series and especially this one.

Surprised you didn't mention the snickers dodge and racing with mike as the driver . Can't think of another owner/tuner that had family in the seat . I know Mike and we had some good times on our bicycles 😎😎

@racer774

5 жыл бұрын

Art Mchugh - As far as AA/FC, one other that comes to mind immediately is Jim Head owner/tuner and his son Chad driving for him for a few seasons.

I wonder if Jim Dunn or anyone here either remembers or knows about the wreck in 1985 at Firebird Raceway 14th annual Nightfire Nationals in Idaho. Where Jim Dunn did a Burnout in the “fireman’s quickie” in the staging lanes going back towards the pits and the throttle got stuck and ended up hung up in the barbed wire fence around 100mph, give or take, and went right into the concession stand and killed a woman and injured about 20 other people. If I was that interviewer I would of asked him all about that. Id like to hear his side of the story. Because what happened after that changed nitro racing at Firebird Raceway forever.

Gotta love big Jim more of a story teller. He rarely talks about himself or personal stuff.

I wish you guys would interview Larry and Steve mcbride

Just found out his first real race car was a 53 split window VW with a Lincoln motor... Legend!

I love this guy! Great video. Thankyou!

Only wish the interview would’ve been twice as long...GREAT STUFF...Thank You..

Excellent video as always Bobby. One question I would have loved to have seen answered though. What ever happened between Jim and Mike? Was that a subject Jim refused to discuss?

@CompetitionPlusTV

6 жыл бұрын

James Thompson - it was and I will say this, “nobody’s business”

I think I enjoyed this one the best. Jim Dunn is a very intellegent man. He is comfortable in his own skin. I respect him more than just about anyone in the sport, especially after seeing this vid!

Time slows for me when I’m on a bike.

@watsisbuttndo829

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. I used to roadrace and i swear i could of written a novel between realizing im going to crash and actually hitting the deck.

No ones perfect awesome

I lived at our local drags, loved the fox hunts and 64 funny cars, Jim Dunn was an asshole at the track, after watching this, I like him more than ever!!!

wished he got asked/talked abt his fire dept days & mike

@CompetitionPlusTV

2 жыл бұрын

He did on the fire department, but it did not make the final cut. Ask for Mike, he chooses not to talk about that. As he said it’s nobody else’s business

I wish he would have talked about his relationship with his son Mike.

@CompetitionPlusTV

4 жыл бұрын

Richard Hudson - he wouldn’t - as he put it, it’s personal and nobody else’s business

I can watch videos about this honorable man 24/7

Was that a mid eng funny car how did I miss that back in the day

How the hell did these guys get so old? I'm...only...59...nvr mnd

They don't make people like him anymore or People who love to Drag Races. I wish the Clock could be turn back and be able to re-do it all over again.

What an inspiration. He was a good man aside from the racing and everything else. He's just a good person.

19:00 $50 split widow beetle

From the 50's-early 90's was the best car racing before corporate got involved then it sucked

Mike's dad.

Big Jim a ausumn guy, i wonder if theres anyway force could have drove for you jusy hypothetical

We think a like and you can slow down time .

i wonder if hes of realativ ov mine im from scotland in the uk /jim dunn dead in the water